Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



B 1' AVAILABLE COPY G. W. WILSON.

MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.11,1912.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

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G. W. WILSON.

MAIL BAG GATGHER AND. DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.11, 1912.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

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GEORGE w. WILSON, or VINELAND, NEW JERSEY.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

Application filed April 11, 1912; Serial No. 690,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WV. WILSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residingat Vineland, in the county of Cumberland and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag catchers and deliverers and one of the principal objects of the invention is to simplify the construction of devices of this character and to render them more efiicient in use and not so liable to get out of order.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide simple means for catching and delivering a mail bag or bags at the same time so as to deliver a bag at the station and to catch a bag to be carried by the mail car from the station at the same time without requiring the stopping of the mail train to make the transfer of the mail bags.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mail bag catcher and 'deliverer made in accordance with my invention, said view showing in dotted lines the movement of the deliverer on the mail car after it has caught a mail bag from the device located at the station, the arrow showing the direction of movement of the car; Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the arrangement and relative positions of the catcher and' deliverer; Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the mail bag catcher at the station and showing the means of adjusting the spring catching members; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the supporting device secured to the-inner side of the mail car.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a mail car provided with a door opening 2 therein. Hinged at 3 inside the car is a supporting device 4 having separated arms 5 connected together by means of a bar 6. An arm 7 is secured to the bar 6, said arm at its outer end being provided with a yoke 8 having spaced outwardly extending lugs 9. Riveted to the lugs 9 is the curved bar 10 having outwardly extending fingers 11 at the opposite ends thereof. Pivoted at 12 to the curved member 10 are the spring fingers 13 having outwardly extending ends 15. The fingers 13 extend beyond the pivotal points 12 and are connected together by a spring 16 which serves to hold sald fingers 13 in contact with the fingers 11 and permitting an opening 17 between them for a purpose which will presently appear. The arm 7 with the catching devices on its end may be swung into and out of the car 1 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and held in proper position when extended by means of the locking members 18, said locking members being pivoted to a base plate 19 and actuated by means of a lever 20 pivoted at 21 to the base plate and provided with links 22, connected to the locking members 18. The locking members are recessed to engage the arms 5 and by operating the lever 20, the locking members can be moved out of the path of the arms 5 :to permit the support to be swung into the car, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Supported upon a post 23 at the station 1s a supporting member 24 having vertical guideways 25 at opposite sides of the center thereof, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The guideways 25 are provided with inwardly extending lugs 26 and mounted in the guideways are slides, 27 provided with handles 28 at their lower ends. The slides 27 are each provided with rectangular openings 29. To hold the slides 27 in the required adjusted positions, a sliding bolt 30 is located under the support 24 in line with the openings 29, said bolt adapted to engage said openings 29 for supporting the slides 27 in adjusted positions.

Connected to each of the slides 27 is an arm 31 which is oppositely curved and provided at its outer end with an oppositely disposed finger 32. Pivoted at 33 to each of the arms 31 is a spring actuated finger 34; having a curved portion 35. A spring 36 is connected at one end to the curved portion 35, while the opposite end is connected to the arm 31 and the tension of said springs holds the fingers 32 and 34 together with a small aperture 36 between them.

A mail bag a is provided with a suspending rope or similar device 6 having a knot or enlargement 0 in its terminal end.

The operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows: When the train is going in a direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 and it is desired to catch a bag from the station, the bag a is suspended by the rope b, is supported between the fingers 32 and 34: at the left in Figs. 1 and 3; or in other words, the fingers that are to deliver a mail bag at the station, the" rope b is connected to. the fingers 11 and 15 at the right in Fig. 1 and will be caught by the fingers 32 and 34; when the train is movingin the direction indicated, by the arrow. When it is desired to both deliver and catch a mail bag, the mail bag from the car will be taken by the fingers at the right,

hand side, as, shown in Fig. 1, and the: fingers on the left hand side of the arm 7 will take the; bag from the fingers 32 and 34.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that my invention is comparatively simple in construction, can be readily adjusted to catch and deliver mail bags from the traingoing in either direction; that the device is composed of few parts which are not liable to get out of order; that there is no wear andv tear on the bag itself since the catcher engages a rope connected to the bag, and that the device as a whole is, strong, durable and efiicient and can be installed at low cost.

I claim:

1., A mail bag catcher and deliverer comprising. spring actuated fingers adapted to.

engage between them a suspending rope connected to a mail bag and provided with a knot or enlargement, a catching device;

at the station, said catching device comprising; oppositely disposed curved arms; g provided with spring actuated fingers, and

means for independently adjusting said arms vertically.

2. A mail bag catcher and d-eliverer comprising an armhingedly connected to a mail car and provided with spring actuated fingers adapted to engage a suspending rope connected to a mail bag and provided with a knot or enlargement, stationary means for withdrawing the rope from the fingers, said means comprising curved arms, slides to lwhich said arms are connected, spring actuated fingers on said arms, and means for holding said slides in vertically adjusted positions.

3. A mail bag catcher and deliverercomprising oppositely curved arms, spring actuated fingers connected to said arms, slid-es for carrying said arms, aguideway for said slides, means for holding said slides in vertically adjusted positions, and means on a mail car for withdrawing and presenting to the fingers mail bags provided with suspending ropes having knotted or enlarged ends,

4:. A mail bag catcher and deliverer comprising an arm having spring actuated oppositely disposed supporting devices for mail bags each provided with a suspending rope having a knot or enlargement in one end, and means at the station for delivering j to and removing from said fingers mail bags 1 also having suspending ropes provlded wlth an enlarged or knotted end and comprising .sp-ring actuated fingers connected to curved arms, slides for supporting said arms, and

mea-ns for adjusting the slides vertically and independently.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature j'in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. WILSON.

WVitnesses;

J OHN H. WINSLOVV, Josnrn H. MCKILLIP.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). c. 

